- Category
- Original (1985 to 1988)
- IANA type
- Generic
- Manager
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
- Script
- Latin
- DS in root
- 1 record(s)
- Algorithm
- 13 · ECDSA P-256
- IDN names
- no IDN tables at IANA
- WHOIS
- whois.nic.gov
- RDAP
- yes
Checked 26 Oct 2026 by our weekly check.
Is a .gov name registered?
Looked up from your browser in the registry's RDAP service; if that does not answer, in DNS. Nothing is stored on dnssec.in.What this means
The root zone holds a DS record for .gov, so the extension is signed and anchored. A domain under .gov can use DNSSEC with a full chain of trust: it needs to be signed at its DNS host and have its own DS at the registrar.
IDN names under .gov
No IDN tables for .gov at IANA: names are usually ASCII only (a–z, 0–9 and hyphen).
Length
DNS limits are the same everywhere: each label is 1 to 63 characters, the whole name at most 253, letters, digits and hyphens, not starting or ending with a hyphen. IDN labels count their xn-- form, so fewer native characters fit. A registry can set a higher minimum (often 2 or 3 characters) or reserve short names: that is in its own policy.
WHOIS and RDAP
RDAP (the JSON successor to WHOIS) answers at https://rdap.nic.gov/rdap/. Classic WHOIS (port 43) answers at whois.nic.gov. For most gTLD names the owner's contact details are redacted for privacy; the registrar, dates and status are public.
Lifecycle and drop
A restricted extension: who may register, and what happens at expiry, is set by its registry under its own rules, not by the usual ICANN registrar process.